Stepbrother

by Stacy McWilliams

  “You really loved him, didn’t you?”

  I nodded and a tear slipped from my eye.

  I scrubbed it away and smiled at him. “But enough about me, tell me about you.”

  He smiled sadly at my deflection but began talking, nonetheless. “I got clean two years ago; I’d been robbing a liquor store and the owner got hurt. He was a nice man and told me if I agreed to get clean, he’d drop the charges against me, and he told me that in his youth—” He broke off as Marie came over and sat beside me.

  “Bailey,” she whined, “come dance with me.” I smiled and shook my head at her, and she went off with Xavier, one of the boys from our class.

  “Where was I?” Zane asked, smiling at me.

  “The man who let you off,” I supplied as the music got louder and my head nodded along to the bass.

  “How about we meet for lunch tomorrow and I tell you then. You go back to your friends and have fun.” I beamed at him and handed him my cell, getting him to put his number in it.

  As I got up to dance, he leaned close and gave me a hug whispering, “Coop’s a fool if he lets you go forever, Bailey. See you tomorrow.”

  I grinned as he left and made my way to the dance floor to shake my ass with my friends. I kissed a few guys and even kissed a girl that night, and we ate fast food on our way back to our hotel. The next morning, I woke at ten a.m. and went for a shower. Once I was out of the shower, I texted Zane and told him where I was staying.

  He texted back straight away and said he’d meet me in an hour and asked if I wanted burgers for lunch. As I waited to meet him, I fought the urge to text Coop, but I gave in and sent him a message, which came back undelivered. I tried to call him and heard a message saying that his number was no longer active.

  To stop myself getting upset I focused on getting ready and then spent the rest of the hour reading my favorite book. Once the hour was up, Zane texted to say he was downstairs and I left Marie a note, telling her I was out at lunch and would be back soon.

  As I waited on the elevator my nerves fluttered and I curled my fingers into my hands pressing the nails into the skin to help keep me calm. The elevator went down the seven floors slowly and eventually stopped at the ground floor. I got out and glanced around for Zane, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. I moved towards the entrance and he stepped out from beside a plant to meet me.

  “Bailey,” he whispered, and I went into his arms for a hug.

  “Hey, Zane,” I muttered as we stepped apart and he motioned to the woman at his side. “This is my wife, Samantha, but you can call her Sam, and this is our beautiful baby, Oliver.” He scooped the baby up and passed him to me as I stood open-mouthed in the lobby. I glanced down at the baby and he opened his eyes, took one look at me, and smiled before nodding back to sleep.

  “Well, hi, Bailey, it’s so lovely to meet you,” Sam said, as she leaned over kissing my cheek gently. “I’ve heard a lot about you over the years and I can’t wait to get to know you better.” I glanced at them both and saw happiness shining out of them as they watched me with their son.

  “I can’t believe you have a son.” I stared at Zane and Sam, both shocked and delighted at the surprise of the news.

  We went for lunch and Sam impressed me with how incredible she was. She was a kindergarten teacher and her dad was the store owner who’d let Zane off. At first, he was apprehensive about their relationship but over the years he’d warmed to Zane and he adored his grandbaby.

  As I left them, Zane promised to try and come back to Minnesota, and he wanted to talk to his dad and Coop again, but he didn’t know if they’d even hear him out. I said I would try to bring it up when I was next home, but I warned him that it would be a while before I was home.

  I went back to the hotel and all too soon it was time to head back to school. Once there I busied myself with my studies, had a few dates which went nowhere, and spoke to Jay in London. I missed him and our calls were never long enough, but it made me happy to hear from him.

  The days passed quickly and turned into months with finals and assignments and applications for my classmates being handed in as they wanted to go forward in their careers, but I made sure to keep in touch with Zane and Samantha. They sent me pictures of Oliver and updates on how Zane was getting on at college. I went back to New York for his graduation as a youth counselor and I was so proud of him and all he’d achieved.

  When it came time for me to pick my career, all I wanted was to open my own gallery and have my friends and family enjoy the glorious works of art that I would display. I decided to apply to a few galleries to get an idea and experience of how things worked before I tried to branch out on my own. Shawn had offered me the money to buy my own gallery, but I was loath to take it. I’d never really forgiven him for his awful behavior towards me and his kids when I was a teenager.

  After graduation, which my mom and Shawn attended, I’d come home and moved in with Jay into an apartment in Jefferson. My granddad became sick and I spent a few months living with him and my grandma nursing him until he passed away at seventy-nine.

  I’d started looking for a job again because I’d put it on hold while I was caring for my grandma and was browsing in Par Excellence, a café come gallery with my mom when I got chatting to Martine. Martine owned Par Excellence along with her husband Sean-Paul and happened to mention that they were looking for a general manager and with my degree, would I consider applying.

  Within days, I’d gotten a job and I juggled that with looking after my grandma, but she hated the house now she was alone and wanted a change of scenery, so she moved down with my dad and told me to use her house instead of the apartment.

  While Jay bought me out of the apartment, I still stayed there most days as I worked with Sean-Paul and Martine, in their gallery come café.

  I was still looking around for my own gallery, but I loved their café and the hustle and bustle of working at Par Excellence. It was gorgeous, with tables along the center of the gallery and low-hanging lighting. Nico the chef was incredible, and his cakes were delectable.

  He was a smash with our customers and we started to attract a different type clientele, from the suits who popped in for a coffee and browsed our artists work as they waited, to the art lovers who came in and critiqued local artists, but Nico, Martine, Philip and I made everyone welcome and soon it was a must-visit for people.

  We continued to grow and expand and over the next few years, we’d gathered a good collection of art and a steady supply of artists and art dealers who wanted to display with us. I thrived and loved scouting new artists and encouraging them to work with us. I even dated a few, but when it ended it was always mutual and we always ended up as friends afterward.

  I ended up buying into the business after finding a few incredible artists and having a keen eye for the business. Sean-Paul, Martine, and I wanted to expand, and we’d been scoping places out around the country and abroad. I had dated but nothing serious and still hung with Jay a lot. He’d given up his art dream to become a police officer after his dad had passed away, and he’d sailed through training.

  Now at twenty-four, he had a steady boyfriend, Harold, who was a newly graduated doctor at twenty-seven and a junior resident at Mercy Hospital. Harold was fun, fabulous, and funny, but they worked long hours and sometimes barely saw each other for days at a time.

  Zane had another little girl, Serena, who was adorable, and we’d met a few times when he’d come back to Minnesota or when I flew out to New York, but his dad still wouldn’t see him. I tried to get them together, but my mom and Shawn were barely in the state anymore.

  As Shawn’s sixtieth was approaching, I’d agreed to scout out locations for our new gallery, but my plans were canceled at the last minute leaving me stranded in town for my stepfather’s birthday and my mom wouldn’t let me out of it. I didn’t know if Coop was coming and that thought made me nervous as hell, but I needed to calm down, or at least that was what I kept telling myself as I watched t
he clock anxiously on the Thursday before Shawn’s birthday dinner.

  Closing down the gallery section on Thursday evening meant closing down and putting orders through and seeing them out, but I was desperate for six p.m. when the night staff came in. My day had been a long one, but it was finally after four and I’d just roped off the displays and curtained off the main gallery section.

  As I walked out, a familiar face was standing staring at one of the paintings and I rushed over, throwing myself into his arms.

  “Zane,” I squealed as he spun me in a circle, and he laughed, setting me on my feet.

  “Hey, Bailey, how’s it going?” I beamed up at him and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

  “It’s all good, Zane. How’re things with you? Where’s Sam and the kids?”

  He laughed as I led him to a table and signaled to Jose, our counter assistant, for two coffees. We sat down and his lips lifted into an almost-smile as he looked over at me.

  “They’re back at the hotel. I just wanted to see the place you own…”

  I cut him off, saying, “Part of, I only own part.”

  His eyes twinkled as he laughed throwing his head back.

  He sat up and stared at me for a moment then put his hand over mine as we sat and talked for an hour, but he didn’t want to leave Sam and the kids for too long, so he had to head back. I walked him outside and stood with him in the light September rainfall.

  “It’s my dad’s birthday tomorrow,” he said, as we stood outside, “he’s sixty.” I nodded and glanced up at him seeing his pinched lips and moisture-filled eyes.

  “Zane, I’ll speak with him…”

  Zane’s body tensed and I turned to see why he’d tensed. My face froze and my body trembled as I saw Cooper standing outside a well-known bar a few meters away. His face showed fury and Zane trembled beside me.

  “Zane, go. I’ll deal with him.”

  He didn’t move, just stood frozen in place as Coop began moving towards us. I pushed Zane away.

  “Zane, go, please. Just go.” My voice rose in panic.

  He nodded at me and turned and shot off as Coop began running towards me.

  I moved so I was standing in front of him and his gaze was vicious as it lit on my face, but I didn’t flinch. He went to step around me, and I moved blocking his path.

  “Bails, move out of my way.” I shook my head, ignoring the butterflies that erupted at hearing my nickname from him.

  “No, Cooper. Please, don’t do this.”

  He grabbed my shoulders roughly and shook me. “What. The. Hell. Is. He. Doing. Here?” he asked, shaking me on each word. I struggled in his grip and his hold loosened a fraction. His face was closer to mine than it had been in six years and his scent invaded my nose. His eyes widened as he took our stance in, and he stepped back, shaking his head.

  “Cooper, come with me.”

  He shook his head and glanced back at the bar almost guiltily.

  “I can’t, I have to get back.”

  His voice shook and he turned to look at me.

  “It’s so good to see you. You look amazing.”

  His eyes scanned my features and his gaze heated up as he allowed his eyes to roam all over me in my tight black dress, high-heeled pumps, and a gray sweater. I couldn’t complain at the sight of him either. He stood in stone-washed jeans and a cream-colored cashmere sweater. He looked almost edible and my mouth was watering, but I steeled myself and asked him to come with me again.

  “Please, Cooper. I need to speak with you, and I want to do it alone.”

  My voice was firm but pleading, and he met my eyes and nodded once.

  “Lead the way, then, Bails.”

  I grabbed his hand and turned, ignoring the sensation of his rough fingers in mine and the sparks that shot up and down my arm as I walked, dragging him into the gallery. We moved towards the stairs behind the cordoned-off section, and he stopped.

  “Bailey, it’s closed.”

  I shook my head at him, and he gave me a questioning look as I leaned over, whispering, “Perks of being one of the owners is I can go wherever I damn well like.”

  He laughed and followed me, maintaining his distance a little more. We climbed the stairs and I opened the door to the roof garden. It was gorgeous and full of statues, archways, and benches. There were also wind chimes and a sheltered alcove which was where I led him to. He sat down keeping his eyes on mine the entire time. For a moment we didn’t speak, just let the fact we were together wash over us before he cleared his throat and broke our eye contact.

  “What is it, Bailey?”

  His tone was irritated with a bite of impatience and I swallowed around the lump in my throat as I tried to work out how to broach the subject of Zane. I opened and closed my hands pacing in front of him as I worked out how to say what I needed to without him hating me. After a second his hand closed over mine, and he pulled me over to sit beside him.

  “Bails, just spit it out b…”

  He paused and swallowed, glancing at the stones on the ground or at the statues in front of us.

  “It’s about Zane,” I murmured, and he stood so fast that I didn’t see it coming.

  “No, I don’t talk about him, ever.”

  He began to walk away and I couldn’t think of a single thing to say to stop him, but he paused and came back towards me, anger on every line of his handsome face as he leaned down and spat out, “Out of all of us, you’re the one with the most cause to hate him. I guess you’re just a pushover like your mom.”

  I shrank back from his anger and closed my eyes murmuring, “This was a mistake. I thought I could get through to you, but never mind.”

  My body thrummed for a moment as desire warred with love and hatred and pain, but when I opened my eyes he was gone. A tear rolled from my eyes and I stood up, shaking with adrenaline as I dusted my hands down my dress.

  I began walking towards the door to the roof garden when he barreled back towards me and grabbed my arm, pulling me back to the alcove. His body was shaking with emotion, but he wouldn’t look at me, so I didn’t know which emotion it was.

  “This better be good,” he said as he slumped back down, rolling a coin between his fingers.

  He didn’t look at me again, so I brushed my blonde locks up and brushed my hair behind my ears to keep them away, so I could talk to him without my hair blowing in my mouth. My eyes darted to his and I saw a coldness there that I’d never seen before.

  “Well, talk, Bailey, or I’m out of here.” His tone was ice cold and it burned to have it directed at me.

  I stood up and faced away from him, figuring it would be easier to not look at him while I spoke.

  “I bumped into Zane four years ago in New York. I was there with friends from college, and he was our tour guide. He worked while putting himself through night school to become a counselor for troubled teens, and he now has his degree and works full-time in a drug rehab center in Queens.” The words spilled out in a rush and Coop drew in a shaky breath.

  “So, I’m up here so you can tell me my brother’s a saint now?”

  His tone was cold and bitter, and I turned to face him.

  “No, I asked you to come up here because your brother made a mistake, and he’s spent the last six years being punished for it. His kids deserve to know their family, and he deserves to be able to apologize for what he did.”

  My voice shook hard and I couldn’t look at him after the first words came out.

  “He has kids?” Coop asked in a low voice and I glanced at him, seeing his face soften a tiny amount.

  “Yeah, he has a four-year-old boy, Oliver, and a one-year-old girl, Serena. They are…”

  Coop stood up and marched past me, heading towards the exit. I didn’t say another word and as he entered the stairwell I slumped down hard on the bench.

  I leaned over and put my head into my hands. Four years I hadn’t seen or spoken to him, but my chest was humming and my skin buzzing because he had been near me. I nee
ded to get a grip. No wonder none of my other relationships hadn’t worked out. I’d never let him go, not properly. Every guy I’d ever dated never measured up to him, and it was pathetic. I wanted to slap myself and I groaned as I realized I probably still looked like an infatuated schoolgirl to him.

  “Bails?” Coop asked and I raised my eyes to his meeting his eyes and seeing fear there. I stared at him, unable to speak as he came and sat beside me.

  “Bailey, there is something you need to know about me. Something I should have told you a long time ago, but I guess I couldn’t.”

  I moved my body a small amount to look at him, and he pulled me in for a hug.

  God, I thought, I feel like I’m home.

  He spoke in a low voice, which thrummed in my ears as he rested his head on mine, “I feel like I’ve finally come home.”

  He stepped back and shook his head, and I did the same.

  “I shouldn’t have said that,” he whispered, and he stared at me for a long moment, before steeling himself.

  “Bailey, I’m getting married in a few months. It’s one of the reasons I’m home. I… I should have…” His voice broke off as he took in my horrified expression and I spun on my heel heading straight for the stairs. “Wait, Bailey, please.”

  Shaking my head at him I ran down the stairs and walked straight out into the main part of the café. Martine was there, and she was looking around, but she took one look at me and marched me over to the office.

  “Bailey, what is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  I nodded at her and mouthed, “Something like that. Can you cover for me? I need to get out of here.”

  “Of course, mon petit cherie. Take all the time you need.”

  Her voice was soothing, and I leaned up kissing her cheek as I grabbed my bag and made my way out. My eyes darted around, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I climbed into a cab and asked to be taken to the apartment. I texted Jay a 911 message and he called me, but I didn’t want to talk, so I ended the call and texted:

  Heading to the apartment. Bring tequila. We’re going clubbing